Author
Topic: Good Anime? (Read 4205 times)

I'm looking for some good anime to watch and thus, could use your help. For me, anime doesn't have to be Japanese - sorry, anime purists. It should have a good story and draw you in. I don't want any rape (tentacled, or otherwise) nor do I need animated porn.

Anime that I have enjoyed in no particular order:Full Metal Alchemist: BrotherhoodGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone ComplexCowboy BebopTrigun (I've seen bits of it; however, I need to actually sit down and finish watching it.)Code Geass

AD Police Files: OVA prequel to the original Bubble Gum Crisis. Some nudity and sexualism, but it's not porn. The later TV show (AD Police) is a different continuity, although it's more similar to the Bubblegum Crisis: 2040 TV show. Strong cyberpunk show.

Dual: Parallel Trouble: Part of the Tenchi Myou multiverse, although that's only apparent in one of the Tenchi series. Geeky kid gets sent to a parallel universe where he gets dragged into a war with giant robots and alien technology. Similar Neon Genesis Evangellion, but without the squick and with likable characters.

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: Show following the adventures of a rouge sorcerer, his apprentice, and a girl. Also look for the second series, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen Revenge.

Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: An old series that holds up well as long as you remember that the animation is old and ignore the horrible animation in the knife fight scene. Alien invasion, a converted alien destroyer is mans only hope, fighters that change into giant robots, a love tiangle and pop music. Formed the first third of Robotech, but the recent ADV remake using Animego's remaster is better due to better video quality and that they got the original seiyu to voice and sing for Minmei. The story's more refined and the characterization's more subtle and complex. Similarly, Macross Zero, Plus and Frontier are good. 7 is, more a matter of taste. I like it, but it's a bit weirder. Production order was Macross, Plus, 7, Zero, Frontier. In universe order is Zero, Macross, Plus, 7, Frontier. Flashback 2012 is a music video series with animation showing what happened to the three main characters in the original series. Do You Remember Love is a theatrical version of the orininal series that can be taken as an alternate version of that story or (the current official view) as the movie made in Macross 7 about the events in the first series. Macross II is a completely different universe and was made by a different studio then the rest.

Full Metal Panic: Teenage special forces soldier with no socialization sent undercover to watchover a teenage girl. Hilarity and romance ensues. Also, giant robots, love triangles and mad science. Second Raid is the second season, and Fumoffu is all the comedy side-story lines from the manga that weren't animated for the first series.

Tenchi Muyo! - Ryo-Oki: One of the classics. Three OVA series. Ordinary kid winds up the most elegable bachelor in the universe with alien princesses, galactic cops, space pirates, extradimensional dieties, and mad scientists fighting (often literally) for his affections. Tenchi Universe, Tenchi in Tokyo, and the movies are all different worlds from this. Don't think too hard about the relationships though.

Outlaw Star: If you liked Bebop, you'll probably like this. It's not as stylish as Bebop, but it's more epic space opera. The spinoff Angel Links isn't as good, but it's not as bad as some say. It's very different though.

Dirty Pair: Two attractive female agents who have a tendency to blow everything up and not bother to ask questions later. Remade as Dirty Pair Flash.

Scrapped Princess: Fantasy (sorta) show about a teenage girl being hunted by the church as the cause of the end of the world and protected by her sword master brother and military wizard sister.

Record of the Lodoss War: The original is a OVA series based on a novel series based on the author's D&D game. The TV show, Legend of the Heroic Knight ignores the last third of the OVA to readapt it more faithfully from the novels. The Legend of Crystania TV show and OVA series follow the adventures of the 'villains' after the Lodoss War. Rune Soldier Louie takes place on the mainland and is unrelated to the Lodoss War plot line. Lodoss and Rune Soldier are stronger then Crystania, although Louie is a comedy and the rest are dramas.

Patlabor: Police using giant robots, but the robots are really not important compared to the characters and police work. The OVA, TV show, and movies are completely different worlds, with the original OVAs being slightly better. The movies are probably some of the best anime done, delving into some rather deep stuff. Also, somewhat uniquely, giant robots came from the construction industry and were then adapted to police work and then to military use.

Logged

Right now you have no idea how lucky you are that I am not a sociopath. - A sign seen above my desk.There's no upside in screwing without things you can't explain. - Captain Roy MontgomeryPSN: Krensky_ Steam + GOG: Krensky

Robotech. Series. Absolutely Robotech. It was THE breakthrough of the japanimation ouvre into the West, perhaps because it took three different mecha series and fused them into a gloriously Frankenstein single narrative.

Patlabour: the Movie I & Patlabour: the Movie II. Movie. The story takes place in what was, at the time of release, the near future of 1998-2002. Robots called "Labors" are employed in heavy construction work. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has its own fleet of Patlabor robotic police officers to combat crimes and deal with accidents involving Labors. The 1st movie is the better of the two and more focused on mecha but with some deeply philosophical underpinnings, the 2nd is closer to a political thriller.

Voices of a Distant Star. Movie. A sad love story involving an alien invasion told at relatvistic speed.

Robotech. Series. Absolutely Robotech. It was THE breakthrough of the japanimation ouvre into the West, perhaps because it took three different mecha series and fused them into a gloriously Frankenstein single narrative.

As for the shows, I'd still recommend the original SDF Macross over the first part of Robotech. The edits to make it suitable for children and syndication and the measures taken to saves costs leaves the Macross Saga in Robotech far weaker then the original series. The voice acting and singing in the ADV release are far better, and the Animego video remaster is better then the transfers Harmony Gold's used in their Robotech re-releases. Plus Mari Ijima's Minmei is far more sympathetic and her story is more nuanced. The Robotech edits also alter some of the central concepts of the show. The last battle of Space War I takes on a completely different context when accompanied by Robotech's martial pep talk 'We Will Win!' compared to Macross's tragic love song 'Do You Remember?'

As for the rest, Southern Cross was meh in the original and the Robotech version isn't much better, and MOSPEDA just doesn't hold up as well as Macross.

Patlabour: the Movie I & Patlabour: the Movie II. Movie. The story takes place in what was, at the time of release, the near future of 1998-2002. Robots called "Labors" are employed in heavy construction work. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has its own fleet of Patlabor robotic police officers to combat crimes and deal with accidents involving Labors. The 1st movie is the better of the two and more focused on mecha but with some deeply philosophical underpinnings, the 2nd is closer to a political thriller.

Voices of a Distant Star. Movie. A sad love story involving an alien invasion told at relatvistic speed.

How did I forget Makoto Shinkai's opus? He wrote, directed, and animated the movie entirely on his own on his PowerMac G4 and the first Japanese dub was him and his wife. His The Place Promised in Our Early Days is excellent too.

Both Appleseed and Appleseed Ex Machina are good. If you liked GitS:SAC, you'll probably like them too since Appleseed is also a product of Masamune Shirow's mind. Nominally the same world as GitS, although a few decades later if I remember. If you pay attention you'll recognize a few familiar political entities and corporations. Also, interestingly, some of the costume design was done by Miuccia Prada.

And speaking of cell shaded computer generated anime, Vexille is a fun watch.

« Last Edit: December 11, 2011, 10:20:17 AM by Krensky »

Logged

Right now you have no idea how lucky you are that I am not a sociopath. - A sign seen above my desk.There's no upside in screwing without things you can't explain. - Captain Roy MontgomeryPSN: Krensky_ Steam + GOG: Krensky

cat shit onehellsing, both versionsanything by Hayao Miyazaki: the man transcends the media. even his english voice acting tends to be good, though when you have talents like billy crystal and christian bale working for you that can happen.sol bianca. space pirates, need i say moreany of the capitain harlock stuff: if you can find it.

Logged

Jesus loves you, he died for your sins. Protoman hates you, he died﻿ for them twice. - Anonymous

I'd say any of Leji Matsumodo' work. Harlock, Emeraldis, Galaxy Express, Yamato, a number of others I'm forgetting the titles of at the moment.

Doubly impressive since they're all in the same world (Yamato fits in oddly, but voice of god says it's in there).

His album length video for Daft Punk's Discovey is good too. Look for Interstella 555

Logged

Right now you have no idea how lucky you are that I am not a sociopath. - A sign seen above my desk.There's no upside in screwing without things you can't explain. - Captain Roy MontgomeryPSN: Krensky_ Steam + GOG: Krensky

It's ok, but some of the action scenes are a little pants. If you like the first scene, you'll like the film. I didn't.

Other anime:Anything by Ghilbli (try Grave of the Fireflies!)Samurai 7 (crazy steampunk Seven Samurai remake)Monster (psycho-thriller about an amazing brain surgeon)Scrapped Princess (I second Krensky's suggestion)The new Hellsing (if you can get it)Samurai Shampaloo (wait for the baseball episode)GIANT ROBO (the cheesiest anime ever, but that's what makes it so awesome! Easily in my top 5 anime of all time. And the US dub is brilliantly awful)Neon Genesis Evangelion (just... well... words cannot describe the strangeness)

Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 is an old but good OVA about a mechanic who finds a prototype tank buster power suit and winds up trapped inside. Hilarity and semi automated combat in downtown Tokyo ensue.

Logged

Right now you have no idea how lucky you are that I am not a sociopath. - A sign seen above my desk.There's no upside in screwing without things you can't explain. - Captain Roy MontgomeryPSN: Krensky_ Steam + GOG: Krensky